It’s barely been two weeks, but Elon Musk’s attempts to run the federal government like one of his businesses have already resulted in a level of chaos and inefficiency we’ve never before seen in Washington.
Earlier this week, the White House took a page straight out of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency’s playbook and attempted to freeze federal funding for SNAP, Medicaid and other programs working families rely on — a move so disastrous that the courts intervened and the administration had to reverse course. Musk and his allies have also been busy firing the federal workforce, offering “deferred resignations” and replacing longtime civil servants with his personal lackeys. The Office of Personnel Management, the key staffing agency for the entire federal government, is being run by a cadre of Musk cronies.
The Treasury’s payment system is responsible for delivering trillions in Social Security payments, Medicare benefits and more to millions of Americans across the country.
And Friday, the highest-ranking career official at the Treasury Department, David A. Lebryk, reportedly resigned after refusing to hand Musk’s lackeys the keys to the government’s entire payment system and the $6 trillion in payments the system processes annually.
The Treasury’s payment system is responsible for delivering trillions in Social Security payments, Medicare benefits and more to millions of Americans across the country. It’s not yet entirely clear what Musk plans to do with this system, which has historically been overseen by a small number of career officials. But a few possibilities have emerged.
First, accessing the Treasury’s payment system could be a path to freezing government funding, as the administration attempted earlier this week. Musk could halt payments to programs like Medicaid, Meals on Wheels, Head Start and more, maneuvering around the courts. Musk has already directed his engineers to find ways to turn off the flow of money to programs he and President Donald Trump oppose. With the keys to the Treasury’s payment system, he can unilaterally cut off these funds right at the source.
Musk could also get his hands on the “Do Not Pay” system that lists individuals or contractors the government has blacklisted, theoretically granting him control over whom the government does business with. Government contracts have been central to Musk’s $400 billion net worth; his companies have signed billions of dollars’ worth of government contracts. He could easily place his rivals on the Do Not Pay list or turn the spigot back on for friends who have been blacklisted.
While the Trump administration has sworn up and down that it will not touch Social Security and Medicare, it’s hard not to question whether this access would put these payments right in DOGE’s crosshairs. Initially, Musk pledged that DOGE would cut $2 trillion from the federal budget. Achieving that goal is nearly impossible without going after Medicare and Social Security. And though Musk has since tempered expectations on the commission’s cost-cutting goals — saying there is “a good shot” at cutting $1 trillion — even a reduction of that size would do incredible damage to our country’s social safety net. Nor is Musk chasing these cuts for their own sake. He’s helping congressional Republicans attempt to pay for a new round of tax breaks for corporations and the ultrawealthy — including Musk himself. Luckily, Americans see right through this grift. It’s nice to believe in a fantasy in which Musk and DOGE work alongside civil servants to improve technology and services for Americans and save a few bucks along the way. But all evidence points to the contrary. The richest man in the world, whom no one elected to any government position, is seeking unprecedented access to confidential information, including information pertaining to his own business interests, and seems hell-bent on cutting off as much funding as possible for the programs that matter to the rest of us. Luckily, Americans see right through this grift. An AP-NORC poll found that 52% of Americans have an unfavorable view of Musk — and less than a third of Americans approve of DOGE. Americans don’t want an unelected and unaccountable billionaire dictating what working families can and cannot afford. If Musk is going to continue running the government like one of his failed businesses, perhaps someone should force his “resignation” too.
Lindsay Owens
Lindsay Owens is executive director of Groundwork Collaborative and author for the forthcoming book, "Gouged." 
